For the sixth time in 60 years, a Constitutional Convention took shape in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Fifteen elected delegates gathered in the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Chambers on St. Thomas to officially take their seats Tuesday.
Thirty-sixth Legislature President Milton Potter gaveled the group into order as the ceremony began. Family, friends, colleagues and students filled the seats in the chamber as Superior Court Presiding Judge Debra Smith Watlington led delegates in reciting their oath of office.
Proceedings paused for about an hour before reconvening to pass a proposal forming a leadership team. At that time, eight members of the body crafted Resolution 001, naming former Senate President Usie Raymond Richards as convention president.
Attorney Stedmann Hodge Jr. was elected to serve as vice president; Imani Daniel was voted in to serve as secretary, and former Elections Supervisor John Abramson to serve as treasurer.
The seven members who voted against the resolution voiced objections, saying they were not consulted on the choices prior to the vote. Newly elected officer Daniel voiced her discontent during a three-minute round of remarks. “It’s day one and I’m already incredibly disappointed in this process and the way the officers were appointed.”
Delegate-at-Large Alecia Wells offered her own view on the leadership formation process, speaking to a reporter remotely. “I thought we should give a St. Thomas person a chance. So far, in all of the convention sessions the presidents have been St. Croix men,” the two-term delegate said.
When given a chance to address the body during the session, the at-large delegate — off island for medical reasons — spoke by way of video livestream. Wells said it was the first time she could recall any elected official being allowed to take the oath of office without being there in person.
Former Sen. Arturo Watlington Jr. also served in the fifth- and now the sixth-convention from the St. Thomas district. He called the climate of the last convention “a bullying experience where we had a majority that was formed and a minority that was created. I heard Delegate Hodge say it took an hour to form the leadership, but I believe that discussion only took place with eight individuals,” he said.
In that way, Watlington said, he thought the sixth convention was starting off much as it did the last time.
Delegate David Silverman challenged Resolution 001, saying no one had presented the rules of the convention and there were those in the body who never got an explanation on the resolution before the vote was called.
In his remarks, Richards said the rules of the Sixth Constitutional Convention would be created over the next 14 days. “I assure you there will be disagreements; we will not all concur over all provisions of the document,” he said.
The convention president thanked those who voted him into office, saying he had experience defending former versions of the V.I. draft Constitution before the U.S. Congress. Richards added that he also worked with other governing groups outside the territory to help shape their founding documents.
Other delegates who supported the leadership vote acknowledged the discontent of their colleagues. “I hear you don’t like how it was formed — I hear, but it was formed and now it’s time to get down to business,” said Delegate Ronald Russell.
“I am looking forward to working with all of you,” said Delegate Lilliana Belardo De O’Neal, “This one is going to pass, and I believe everyone here is to give 100 percent of our effort to get this constitution passed so that we don’t have to come back here for the Seventh Constitutional Convention.”
Belardo also took a jab at some of her fellow delegates, saying the St. Croix delegates had to go out and gather signatures in order to have their names placed on the November ballot; a number of the St. Thomas delegates were write-in candidates and it did not seem that voters in that district were interested in the Constitutional Convention.
Although she added that in past elections some of her friends had also won seats as write-in candidates.
Abramson kept his remarks brief. “I ain’t saying much today because talk is cheap. Let’s go to work. I’m done,” he said.
Since 1954, the law of the land in the territory has been based on the Revised Organic Act passed by Congress. Attempts to replace it with the territory’s own Constitution took place in 1964, 1972, 1978, 1980 and most recently in 2009.
The fifth attempt produced a document that was presented on Capitol Hill and to former President Barack Obama but did not achieve the required approval.
